Back again
February 22th , 2014.
Gotham
'Come on Bruce!' Nightwing repeated the same sentence to himself over and over again as the batwing shot towards the ocean at maximum speed. The pain from the wound in his leg and his broken rips seemed to have disappeared when the bomb went off.
He didn't know how he'd gotten to the hidden batwing. Only he suddenly found himself powering up the older plane and making his way towards the bay and the last known location of his mentor.
And father.
'Don't be dead!'
Please.
oOo
The team looked up just in time to see the batwing flying over the city at rapid speed towards the ocean.
"Was that Nightwing?" asked Batgirl with a weak voice. They all watched the plane disappear over the ocean. They couldn't follow. They couldn't help him right now. They would have to wait for backup.
"Yeah.." answered Kid Flash, kneeling down beside the injured, unknown new bat.
"So, you're Batgirl?" she didn't even bother to look up.
"What gave me away?"
Kid Flash smiled at the very typical bat humor. "You've been helping Robin?"
She nodded again. "He needed it. He was alone. So he asked me."
The team shared a look. For just a second they'd forgotten how truly alone their friend had been these past months.
"Do you.. know?" asked Kid Flash carefully. Batgirl seemed to pause for a second, before looking up. Then she looked around, only seeing the other young heroes. She turned her attention back to Kid Flash.
"I know, Wally."
Kid Flash and the other team members gawked at her.
"How..? Did Robin tell you!" asked Artemis, kneeling down beside the flabbergasted Kid Flash.
"He did." Batgirl looked towards the ocean. The team followed her gaze.
"I hope he finds Batman. It'll break him if he looses him again."
oOo
'Master Richard!'
Nightwing almost sobbed when he heard Alfred's voice over the radio. It had been months since he'd seen the old man.
"Yeah," he coughed, finding his voice. "Yeah Alfred, I'm here."
'Thank Goodness. You've had me quite worried young sir.'
"Sorry Alfred. I'l try not do end up in the same situation again." Nightwing smiled a small smile. Somethings never changed.
'I trust you are alright? I've watched the battle of Gotham, as the reporters have dubbed it, on the television. Your friends seemed to arrive just at the right time.'
"Thanks to Barbara and Catwoman. They managed to take down the signal blocker. I couldn't have done it without them."
'Miss Gordon?'
"That's her. She's been helping me."
Silence. Nightwing could almost feel the disapproving glare of the old butler.
'Good. I've been so worried for you and master Bruce'
Nightwing hesitated before answering.
"Bruce was in the explosion, Alfred. He flew the bomb out of the city. Talia detonated it."said Nightwing, his voice filled with repressed anger. "She wanted to kill him. The soul of Gotham."
A few seconds of silence. 'You are flying over the bay now, aren't you?'
"Yes but Alfred, it's all but impossible to find him!" months and months of worry and stress finally culminated and Nightwing felt the tears start to form in his eyes.
"His goddamn suit is black and the water is dark! And cold – it's the middle of the goddam winter - and the waves are huge and it was an atom bomb and without his belt I just can't...!"
'Master Richard!' the steadfastness of the older voice brought Nightwing out of his momentarily state of panic. When he didn't answer the old butler coughed lightly before continuing.
'I'll try and see if I can activate the GPS in master Bruce's cowl. Hopefully it is still intact. I'll transmit the signal to you as soon as I can."
Nightwing closed his eyes. "I'll wait."
'Good. And Master Richard, if you are hurt – which I believe you are – please use the time to attend to your wounds. You won't be any good to master Bruce if you are half dead from blood loss.'
Nightwing smiled. "Don't worry Alfred."
'That is all I ever do. I shall return shortly."
As the comlink went silent Nightwing allowed himself to relax for a few seconds. He was a little embarrassed, loosing himself like that. But then again, Alfred would understand why.
He opened the first-aid kit and began to dress the wound in his leg. On closer inspection of the wound he thanked his lucky stars. The bullet had gone straight through and while it hurt like hell it was a surprisingly clean shot.
He couldn't do much about the concussion. When he'd wrapped up his chest to protect his poor ribs and black marks he searched the plane for a spare uniform. He didn't really care about how it looked. But since he'd be going outside it really needed to protect him from the radiation from the bomb. He then returned to search the waters for any sigh of Batman.
The waves had starting to calm down, leaving the sea dark.
He couldn't have been flying around for more than a few minutes – though they felt like hours – before the comlink went off again, Alfreds voice sounding through.
'Master Richard. I'm getting a signal. I'm sending you the coordinates.'
oOo
The team stared at Batgirl. They had a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that Robin, without pausing or asking them (not that he had had a chance to that, but still!) had told Batgirl their identities.
Further questions were however dismissed for the time being as they watched the older leaguers arrive at the city. Superman was briefed by commissioner Gordon before heading over to the group of young team members.
"Good job team. Seems like you arrived just in time. Where's Robin? And who is that?" the man of steel turned his surprised eyes at Batgirl who was holding her broken arm closely to her body to prevent further damage.
"This is Batgirl.. she's been helping Robin." Miss Martian informed, landing on the ground besides Kid Flash.
Curiosity filled Supermans eyes, but he didn't pursue this new piece of information.
"And Robin? Where is he? I thought he would be here with you. Gordon informed me that you managed to take out Bane just in time. He also mentioned Batman. He's here?"
As the team looked at each other to find the right words more leaguers arrived. Wonder Woman had taken Bane away to Belle Reve. Flash and Green Arrow arrived together, helping rounding up the last enemies.
"Batman managed to get the bomb out of the city." Artemis answered, her head bowed. "When we arrived Batgirl and Robin were in close combat with Bane and Talia al Ghul. Kid Flash managed to knock Bane out, but before we could get to Talia she broke Batgirls arm and stole the trigger. She detonated the bomb."
Supermans eyes grew large. "And Batman?"
"Would've been within the blast radius. When it happened, Robin disappeared. A few seconds later we saw him flying towards the ocean in one of Batman's planes."
Superman looked shocked at this new piece of information.
"When was this?"
"Five-ten minutes ago."
oOo
As Nightwing reached the coordinates from Alfred he tried to prepare himself for what he might find. The completely destroyed bat was to be expected.
Poor Fox, he has to start all over again on that one.
Then he saw it. A brief glance of a human form lying half visible in the dark water.
"Alfred, I see him! I'm going to jump out. Can you remote control the plane to land? It'll need a bit of room and I dare not leave Bruce down there much longer."
'Of course Master Richard. Return to the cave as soon as you can. I'll call dr. Thompkins and stand by.'
Later Nightwing wouldn't be able to give a fully detailed analysis of what happened in the few seconds after he jumped out of the batwing.
He could remember the cold wind. The unusual silence (every bird in miles radius would've been killed when the bomb went off. The roaring of the wind in his ears.
When he hit the cold ocean water it felt like he had the air forced out of his lungs. For a second or so he couldn't think straight, thanks to his concussion and the absence of air.
And he saw Batman. His mentor appeared to be unconscious, half lying on what could only be a piece of the bat. As Nightwing reached him he quickly checked for any signs of life.
He could feel a pulse. It was weak, but is was there. Nightwing looked around. The batwing would return in a few minutes. But Bruce had already been in the water for almost fifteen minutes. And as long as he remained unconscious he couldn't make any further examinations of his mentors health.
"Come on Bruce, wake up." Nightwing was filled with dread as he managed to pull his mentor up on the floating piece of debris. It was late winter and the water was freezing. He was shaking from the cold, and he could see that Bruce had started to turn blue. On closer inspection he could see that the cowl had been partly destroyed. Had it been just a little bit more Alfred wouldn't have been able to activate the link and it would've been too late.
And it still might be too late.
Nightwing did the only thing he could think off. He wrapped his arms around his mentor and father, pulling him close, careful not to touch the destroyed cowl – afraid of what he would find underneat.
"Only a few more minutes Bruce. Please hang in there."
In the distance he could here the batwing return.
It would be alright. It would. It had too. Months and months of pain couldn't end like this.
oOo
"Look!" Miss Martian shouted just as Kid Flash and Artemis had filled in Superman and the other leaguers on what had happened in the last fifteen minutes.
They all looked up, just in time to see the batwing approach the city at rapid speed. Alarmed by the reaction of the meta humans, the citizens of Gotham looked the same way. As the plane flew over the city a huge cheer began to spread through the people. Shouts, crying, hats flying in the air. It lasted only a few seconds, as the plane passed the square and disappeared from view just as quickly as it had entered. An odd silence seemed to settle in. People were sharing unsure glances. Not that they had expected the batman himself to sore down from the plane to receive the praise of the people. But there was an unsure feeling in the air, a feeling of dread. Some of the mercenaries were laughing, claiming their victory.
The team and the few leaguers who could be spared at the moment (Flash, Green Arrow, Zatanna) all turned to Superman. The alien had known Batman longer than any of them, and they all knew that the two of them shared some kind of friendship. At the moment Superman looked unsure. An angry. He turned to Flash.
"I'm leaving you in charge. Make sure everything is taken care off. Lent the police all the help you and the League can spare them." Flash nodded, his face mirroring the same doubtfulness as Superman.
Superman gently picked up the injured Batgirl from the ground.
"Where are we going?" she asked, looking a little bit put off by being carried by Superman himself.
"The batcave. We need to find out what has happened to Robin and Batman and we need to tend to your arm."
She nodded, worry written all over her face.
"Alright?" Superman said to Flash, who nodded.
"Yeah." Just as Superman turned around Flash added. "And, let us know if.. you know.."
"Of course."
oOo
Normally Dick would've been delighted with returning to the batcave. He hadn't seen the place in months. And Alfred! And his bed.
But normally it wouldn't have been him to pilot the plane. As the plane powered down he could see Alfred and Leslie Thompkins run towards the plane. He quickly opened the door before gently lifting up the still unconscious Bruce. On the way back he'd remove most of the partly destroyed uniform. He had examined the other as good as he could. Despite the very obvious fact that Bruce had obviously starved in the last months it seemed like he was in a surprisingly good shape. It looked like he had a few broken rips, most likely from hitting the ocean with a great force. The rest of his body were covered in blue marks and scars.
The thing that worried Dick most was the same thing that caused Alfred and Leslie to gasp as he emerged from the plane carrying his father. Something, most likely a piece of the now destroyed bat, had caused a large wound to the left side of his head. Blood was everywhere. It ran over the pale face, over his arms, dripping on the floor.
"Quickly, bring him in!" Leslie urged him towards the infirmary. They had no time to spare.
I am aware of the fact that debris wouldn't have been anywhere near Batman since he obviously ejected from the bat before the bomb exploded, therefor well out of the way. But, for the sake of the story, let's say that some very large pieces got blown sky high, hitting him in the water, okay? Great!
I don't know how much more juice I can squeeze from this story. Maybe two more chapters.
So hang in there !
I'm reading all of your reviews and I love every single one of them. Sorry if I don't reply to some – life has been quite busy for these past months.